Bride Drowns From Water-Logged Wedding Dress During Photo Shoot

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Bride Drowns From Water-Logged Wedding Dress During Photo Shoot

RAWDON, Quebec — Authorities say that a woman having pictures taken in her wedding dress while standing in a Canadian river was swept away and drowned after her water-logged dress became too heavy, dragging her under.

Maria Pantazopoulos, 30, was posing in her wedding dress with her feet in the water near Dorwin Falls along the Ouareau River north of Montreal on Friday afternoon when her dress became saturated with water, dragging her from her feet and under the water.

According to CTV-Montreal News, the photo shoot was part of a popular wedding rite-of-passage called “trash the dress,” in which artistic photos are taken of the dress being destroyed as part of a celebration of a bride having found her partner for life.

Pantazopoulos was married on June 9, but was having her pictures taken on Friday.

The photographer, Louis Pagakis, told CTV that he tried to save the 100 pound Pantazopoulos, but her dress was just too heavy. Her body was found a few hours later by divers in roughly 30-foot deep waters.

“I jumped in, I was screaming and yelling, we tried our best,” said Pagakis.